Girls Now Reach Puberty by 10

“Scientists have found that the average age that breast development begins is now nine years and 10 months — almost a year earlier than a previous study in 1991.

“They have yet to discover the reason behind the phenomenon but believe it could be linked to unhealthy lifestyles or exposure to chemicals in food.

“Scientists are worried that young girls are ill-equipped to cope with sexual development when they are still at primary school — and that exposure to hormones earlier could increase their risk from breast cancer.

“‘We were very surprised that there had been such a change in a period of just 15 years,’ Anders Juul, head of the Department of Growth and Reproduction at the University hospital in Copenhagen, told the Sunday Times.

“‘If girls mature early, they run into teenage problems at an early age and they’re more prone to diseases later on. We should be worried about this regardless of what we think the underlying reasons might be. It’s a clear sign that something is affecting our children, whether it’s junk food, environmental chemicals or lack of physical activity.’”